socaliforniamagistra

Posted on 11/09/09

Mary, you really need to doublecheck the true costs of those
trips and go through each contract, brochure, and enrollment
form, with a fine tooth comb. The fine print can be
frightening!

There's a lot of, 'smoke and mirrors' in the pricing. Cheap
tours cut corners.

EF, Explorica, CHA, ACIS, NETC, Passports, etc. seem to be
cheaper, but they tend to add in all sorts of fees before
traveling, and any refunds for cancelled trips etc. are in
the form of vouchers for future travel, rather than returning
your money. Their in-house insurance is also not as good as
through an outside carrier like Travelex/Travelite.

I haven't figured out what the EF $95 membership fee was for,
except to inflate prices. Then there are finance fees and
late fees for the parents who elect not to pay through their
charge card.

I had negative experiences with two of the companies you
mentioned. With one company, the true cost of one of the
trips was nearly $600 more than the initial estimate, partly
because they bought the airfare 60 days before travel (a
usual practice for these companies) and not when we booked!

Beware the of all the fees after the 'program fee', because
the rest are estimates!

That particular company was much more, in the long run, than
my current company, which gives us educational hands-on
activities and better service.

Typically, these last minute surcharges and fees are charged
directly to the parents' cards, and it doesn't dawn on them
how much extra they were charged until after the bill comes.
The companies make automatic 'adjustments' to the monthly
bills. If the parents can't pay it, or pay it within 75 or 60
days of the trip, the student is cancelled.

The budget hotels are far from the cities and sites, and the
food is substandard. You'll be wasting time commuting. The
educational content and student supervision is lacking. Be
sure you take out personal liability insurance! And our
students ran out of money because major admissions (like
going up to the top of the Eiffel Tower rather than viewing
it) was not included. They need to specify exactly what is
included.

Dates are not protected and they can change shortly before
travel and mess up testing schedules etc.

Students are asked to share rooms and beds with total
strangers not even in their grade. (This can be a real
liability issue.)

And I don't think their guides are as good as the ones for
Teach by Travel, Prometours, and Casterbridge.

A good rule of thumb: If the tour company cannot guarantee
the airfare at the time you sign the contract, or tell you
exactly where you are staying or eating, then find another
company.

Get every promise in writing, not an 'assurance' over the
phone.

Check the consumer complaint boards and the BBB sites; there
are many complaints from teachers and parents. Complaints
dot com is a place to start.

I was recently called a, 'Diva', by a previous poster but I
take my fiduciary responsibility towards my school, students,
and parents very seriously. I'm new to teaching, but I've
worked in the public and private sectors for over 25 years
and know how to read a contract and follow ethical and safe
practices.

Rather than take the 'stipends', rewards, points, and other
forms of graft that were offered by these companies that take
away from the quality of the tour, I elected to change my
company and have been able to put the money into improving
our travel program, rather than lining my pockets. That is
how my students can afford the so-called, 'lavish' tours.
They're the same price as the other companies but with a
differnt distribution of funds in favor of the students.

Unfortunately with the 'budget' companies, they will not put
the stipends etc. towards improving the program, if you
request not to have the stipends etc.; they may agree not
to 'pay' or 'credit' you, but the tour remains the same -
bare bones.

I checked out another poster on the board who actually
designs tours, and although he is not a tour operator or
really does international, there was an interesting PDF on
the contact page that I downloaded under, 'Caveat Emptor'.
It is a great set of guidelines for choosing a company.
instructours dot com

Also decide what the object of your tour is: a business
sideline (which for public school teachers can be illegal),
sightseeing, or education.

Good luck!

On 11/07/09, Mary Bacon wrote:
> Looked into Teach by Travel and they were way too
> expensive. I am in search of anyone of can give me NETC
> feedback. I am new to this board. How does one search old
> postings. I did see read much about Explorica, EF and CHA.
> Was also consider looking into Passports. Thanks for the
> tip about Prometour! Am awating their prices but fear they
> will be too high, considering they only do private tours.
> Thanks in advance!

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